Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) gets up off the turf after running the ball against the Denver Broncos in the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013, in Denver. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)

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Denver — Looking ahead to a distant NFL future, maybe 50, 60 or 70 years from now, an NFL quarterback might be asked about the Peyton Manning record he just broke.

Providing that quarterback is not one of the 15 or 20 Manning passing descendants to come through the league, he better know Peyton’s number.

The Peyton Manning of 2013 is playing at a historic level. He conjured up the likes of Y.A. Tittle and Joe Kapp by throwing for seven touchdown passes in the season opener. He and his Broncos are on the kind of dominant winning streak that recalls Sid Luckman and the Chicago Bears of the 1940s.

After throwing four more touchdown passes in the Broncos’ 52-20 pasting of Chip Kelly’s Philadelphia Eagles on a spectacular late-September Sunday afternoon at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Manning reached an incremental touchdown record that passed the likes of Slingin’ Sammy Baugh, Dandy Don Meredith and Kurt “Grocery Bagger” Warner.

Manning has thrown 16 touchdown passes with zero interceptions through four games. Not since Milt Plum in 1960 has a quarterback started the season with 16 scoring throws without an interception. The difference is, it took Plum 10 games to throw his 16. And he threw an interception later in game 10.

“It’s fun to watch. I’ve said it many times, I think week-in and week-out he’s the most consistent performer at that position I’ve ever seen. — Troy Aikman, Fox TV broadcaster and former Cowboys quarterback on Peyton Manning